Theatre By The Sea's 'Beehive' buzzes with '60s nostalgia

The hairstyles, the fashion, the music, the conflict — 'Beehive' tells the story of the decade from a woman's perspective, set to a soundtrack of greatest hits.

By Susan McDonaldSpecial to The Journal

As the 1960s dawned, America was still largely innocent and reserved, with lifestyles and music that reflected a more puritanical time. In just 10 short years, however, women shed their complex teased hairdos, their bras and their reserve to shake their hips and raise their voices in protest.

That is the backdrop for a music-driven revue called “Beehive: The '60s Musical,” which opened the season at Theatre By The Sea on Wednesday, May 31.

It was a complex era that has always fascinated Russell Garrett, director and choreographer of “Beehive.”

“I’ve always had such an affinity for the '60s,” he says in a telephone interview from the theater, as rehearsals play out in the background. “I love the hairstyles, the fashion, the music and this show celebrates the entire decade from a woman’s perspective.”

Running in chronological order, “Beehive,” written by agent and playwright Larry Gallagher, also serves as a bit of a history lesson with songs that reflect the nation’s horrific experiences during the decade, from the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the Vietnam War.

The first act, Garrett says, introduces girl groups, such as The Shirelles and The Supremes, that entertained audiences with sweet outfits, mile-high hair, cute choreography and songs “about the boys they love or the boys they’ve lost.” Moving through songs like “My Boyfriend’s Back” and “One Fine Day,” “Beehive” traces how music stylistically changed as the decade unfolded and the British Invasion influenced the industry.

In the second act, things become rowdier as the desire of female singers — like the rest of their gender — to be in control drives their behavior. There are performers like Tina Turner and The Ikettes, with “Proud Mary,” Aretha Franklin, with “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and Janis Joplin.

As the music changes, so do the costumes and the hairstyles, Garrett says.

“Early in the '60s, women do what is expected of them as black or white women. The dialogue in the play changes as women start to take more control of their lives — like letting their hair down or throwing away their bras,” he says, adding that, “women would say, ‘I don’t have to do that to my hair anymore. It’s a lot of work!’

“They were coming into their own and taking charge.”

Joplin at Woodstock or Turner gyrating her hips wildly in tune to her music were displays of independence from the confines women had faced, he says.

“It became a different world and everything was turned on its head,” he says with a laugh.

While the show features two-dozen musical numbers performed by six women Garrett calls “very versatile singers,” the progress of the show is bolstered by one woman who serves as something of a narrator. As director, he wants to make sure the pace is always moving to keep the audience engaged.

“I’ve known several friends and colleagues who have done this show and it’s always been done very differently,” he says about his interpretation. “A show like this should never be the same. I try to keep it moving, never static. There’s an inner motor to the music so the women are always moving and dancing.”

The cast members are energetic and can get raucous with some of the earthier songs, or sweeten things for the more innocent love ballads.

“It’s important to note that these are not impersonators. We are just rekindling the spirit of what these singers were like,” Garrett says.

— Susan McDonald is a regular contributor to The Providence Journal. She can be reached at Sewsoo1@verizon.net.

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